Melt Down
by Fangirlandtheories
Summary: The team starts to think that Ezekiel doesn't pull his own weight and so they make a bet with him where he has to do everyone else's job for them. After an exhausting day, Ezekiel has an emotional breakdown in front of the team. One Shot.


Melt Down:

 **A/N: Hey guys so an anon requested this and I liked the idea so much that I figured I would post it. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Librarians and the idea belongs to my brilliant anon!**

Jenkins was on the borderline of making a magical breakthrough when the team burst through the backdoor. Everyone was talking at once, which he found very annoying.

"Alright. Alright. Enough. One at a time. What happened?" Jenkins rolled his eyes.

"Genius boy here got us trapped inside the tomb." Jake complained as he glared at Ezekiel.

"Okay how many times do I have to say sorry. It's not like I tried to trip and hit that booby trap." Ezekiel rubbed the knee he had hit on the hard ground of the tomb.

"Isn't it your job to know where the trap is. I mean the only reason the library wanted you is because of your criminal expertise." Jake argued.

"I wouldn't say the only reason-" Eve butt in trying to stop them before something too hurtful was said.

"It is not! I do lots of other useful things." Ezekiel argued back. Eve snorted, even though she was trying to stay out of the fight. "Oh and what is that supposed to mean?"

"It's just that… you're not the most productive member of the team." Cassandra tried to put it as gently as possible.

"Are-Are you kidding? I do just as much as everyone else." Ezekiel looked at everyone, hoping to have at least one person on his side.

"You grab things." Cassandra told him. He was sure it wasn't said to hurt as much as it did. "And when it comes to technology, it's the computer doing the work… not you."

"I bet you wouldn't last a day doing the kind of work we do." Jake laughed.

"I'll take that bet." Ezekiel reached out his hand. When Jake shook, the deal was decided.

The Next Day:

"Alright. Since you wanted to do what I do, you can start by solving these. They're called Wronski equations." Cassandra handed him a paper full of different, complicated looking problems.

"Are there supposed to be letters?" He asked, looking at the parchment with disdain.

"Oh you have much more important things to worry about than letters in a math problem. Wait until you see what Baird and Jake have in store for you." That worried Ezekiel. By the time he had finished his math he was mentally exhausted. Then, Baird came into the room. She tossed him a tee-shirt and athletic shorts.

"Now I can't exactly let you be a guardian for the day, but I can let you feel the effects of what it takes to be a guardian. Starting with some boxing classes." Baird laughed. The next few hours Ezekiel spent getting punched and beaten from every turn. Jake laughed from the other side of the gym.

"If you think you're tired now, get ready. I called my cousin and he's going to give you a crash course in oil rigging." In the hot sun of Oklahoma, Ezekiel spent the small remainder of his energy digging holes for the pipes to go in. When his work was done he trudged back into the annex. He still had to work on the security system. He worked through dinner on ways to keep the library safe from any trouble that might come their way. Soon Jenkins came into view.

"You still have to organize the card catalog. Which remind me to teach you how to use it later. Stupid new generation." Jenkins shook his head. Ezekiel was tired, both physically and mentally. He was bruised and confused. Worst of all he felt unappreciated. He did much more than grab things. It wasn't until he was halfway done with the catalog when the others realized this as well.

"No! No! No! You did this all wrong. We'll never find anything with this system. You'll need to start all over again." Jenkins shook his head as he dumped the cards from the drawers. Cassandra, Jake, and Eve looked up when they heard the commotion.

"You know what? No. If you want this to be done a specific way do it yourself." Ezekiel had had enough. "And you!" He pointed at Jake. "Don't act like that's what you do everyday. You use bulldozers. I used my hands." His breathing was becoming hitched.

"Ezekiel, just calm down." Cassandra reached out towards him.

"Calm down? Oh no. I'm just getting started. I just grab things. Remember that? It's the machine that does all the work. It's the brain grape that does all the work." Ezekiel's eyes were filling with tears, his face turning red. Cassandra's jaw dropped as the rest of them stood in silence. "Baird you don't spend your days being beaten up. You beat people up. God all of you people are the same. Self righteous. I did all of that today, plus I figured out the new security system." Ezekiel cut himself off. He took a minute to breathe. "No one, in my entire life has ever appreciated me for what I've done. I do so much more than just grab things. I'm sorry if I insulted any of you, it's just that…" Ezekiel trailed off. He looked up at the team who watched him in shocked silence.

"Ezekiel… I… we never meant to make you feel unappreciated. I think I speak for all of when I say how sorry I am." Cassandra was teary herself. She wasn't used to seeing him in such a state. He had never trusted anyone enough to break down in front of them.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that stuff. I overreacted. I'm just tired you know. Had a long day." He sighed as he ran his hand over his face.

"No you weren't overreacting. I was a little cruel for making you hand dig. I didn't even hand dig back when I worked at the rig. It would be too exhausting. I can't imagine how you feel." Jake gave him a sort of sympathetic side smirk. Later that night, Ezekiel took a nap and when he woke up there was a double pepperoni pizza with extra cheese waiting for him.


End file.
